


Missed Connections

by SapphicScholar



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Craigslist Missed Connections, F/F, Fluff, Meet-Cute, Puppy Fic, SO MUCH FLUFF, Sanvers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 13:56:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17184275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphicScholar/pseuds/SapphicScholar
Summary: Sometimes a beautiful woman just stumbles into your life. Sometimes your puppy whose training is kind of still a work-in-progress decides that you will absolutely follow said woman for many, many blocks. Or, you know, a Sanvers puppy missed connection story that’s all fluff for someone who deserves the fluffiest of birthday fics.





	Missed Connections

**Author's Note:**

  * For [whatdoidowiththisthingnow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatdoidowiththisthingnow/gifts).



> Happy birthday!!

“Come on, Detective, I know you can be more interesting than that!” Mel, the dog trainer, called out, and Maggie could feel her cheeks warming at the attention. It was all fine and well to be interesting in her daily life, but it seemed a rather big ask to be put on the spot like that in dog class. After all, who was she to compare to rows of puppies and new people and snacks galore?

Maggie grimaced at the sight of MJ, the well-behaved puppy she was supposed to be walking her dog towards. Meanwhile Butch—he’d already had the name when she adopted him, and it seemed a damn shame to change it—had planted his butt on the ground, staring longingly at the instructor and the pouch of hot dog bits that he found a thousand times more interesting than Maggie.

“Come on, Butch!” Maggie called, making her voice slightly higher pitched and giving a gentle tug on his leash.

Butch stayed seated, not even deigning to look her way.

“Butch, buddy, let’s go!” Maggie tried again, clapping a hand against her thigh.

He glanced in her direction before returning his attention to the hidden hot dogs, letting out a long whine that earned him a chorus of laughter from the other puppy parents.

_Of course_ , Maggie thought. Every other week he could be star pupil, but when they finally get to the class he _needs_ work on, he decides he’s done for the day. Not that he was bad with other dogs, per se, but he was a shelter pup. He got scared easily, and sometimes that made him seem like he wasn’t the friendliest guy on the block, but she knew it was more a defense mechanism than anything. Darla had suggested she might be projecting, but Maggie didn’t think so. She could empathize—that was all.

“Alright, give me the leash,” Mel said, finally stepping in when it became increasingly clear that the dog wasn’t going to budge. Butch pranced over to her, stepping into a perfect heel position and glancing up with those big brown eyes that got Maggie to ease her “no dogs on the couch” rule within a few short weeks of bringing him home. “Well who’s my good boy?” Mel cooed.

Maggie crossed her arms. _Little suck up_.

After Mel took him on a few laps up and down the back wall of the room, she handed the leash over to Maggie. “You’ve got this.”

Maggie forced herself to smile as she looked across the room to where Tasha was waiting with her wiggly little pit mix. “Alright, Butch, let’s go!”

He lagged, but at least he followed that time, finally trotting up to meet MJ for the three seconds the trainer had instructed them to allow for introductions. Butch took a tentative step forward, sniffing the air around MJ, though he shuffled back into Maggie’s shins when MJ moved to sniff him back. On count number three, though, he stepped forward once more and touched MJ’s side with his nose, making Maggie’s heart swell with a level of pride she suspected might be a bit silly before they walk back to their side of the room.

“You did so good, yes you did,” Maggie murmured, feeding Butch a peanut butter dog treat. “Who’s my brave boy? You are! Yes, you are.”

\---

Over the next week, Maggie willingly made an ass out of herself on every walk she took with Butch, yelling from several yards away when she saw someone with a dog approaching to explain that their trainer said to only meet for three seconds. Some rolled their eyes at the overprotective new dog parent. A few crossed the street, not wanting to deal with the hassle or assuming that having a trainer meant her dog was bad in some way. A couple ignored her rule, leaving Maggie to intervene and separate the dogs before the other pup could get too playful or aggressive and scare Butch. But a few people actually listened, and with each successful meeting, Butch seemed to grow a little more confident.

There was the labradoodle puppy who rolled on his back and batted at Butch from below. There was the hulking Great Pyrenees mix who was a little standoffish but did nothing wrong. Maggie’s favorite was the clumsy 1-year old mutt dragging a stick bigger than he was that just wanted to play tug-of-war.

But Butch’s favorite was a stately German shepherd named, of all things, Gertrude. Maggie had been sure the owner would be one of the many to cross the street. After all, she was in head-to-toe black spandex and running at a pace that would have made Maggie’s old coaches recruit her on the spot. But when Maggie called out, after a moment’s hesitation, the woman slowed to a walk, giving some series of commands to Gertrude before they headed forward together. And apparently it only took one meeting to turn Butch into Romeo, wagging through their whole encounter, then pulling after Gertrude when their three seconds were over, sticking his butt up in the air in a play bow, and whimpering, which turned into whining and then into all-out howling as his Juliet went on her merry way.

Maggie tried to play it cool, laughing and tugging Butch back to her, but he was insistent. And when Gertrude’s owner took up her running pace again, Butch full-on lunged after them, dragging Maggie several houses before she could reign him in, at which point he threw himself to the sidewalk, refusing to budge any time Maggie tried to move away from the direction Gertrude had gone.

“You think this could be your first real dog friend, kid?” Maggie asked, leaning down and looking at the dog that was reminding her more and more of a bratty, petulant toddler each day.

He gave a little whine in response, stretching his neck even further.

With a little huff, Maggie tugged on his leash. “Fine, make your mom run in her nice boots and chase after the fit lady.”

After several blocks of running and even a left turn that Butch, nose to the ground, had insisted upon, Maggie pulled up short, her breath coming in pants. “I’m sorry, little man, but I don’t think we’re gonna catch them.”

Butch wasn’t quite ready to relent, but a few bites of string cheese got him moving towards Maggie’s apartment at the very least, even if it ended up being one of their slowest ever walks home.

For the next several days, Butch dragged Maggie down the same path he’d followed Gertrude, whining loudly and sniffing the ground insistently. It got to the point where his antics were making Maggie consistently 15-30 minutes late for work, and somehow her captain didn’t think a dog’s search for a lost connection was a good enough reason for consistent tardiness. As a warning of sorts, he stuck her on desk duty down in the old file room for the afternoon.

It could have been worse, Maggie tried to tell herself; there didn’t used to be wifi that worked down there.

After a full hour of deepening boredom, Maggie sent a message to M’gann.

**Maggie:** How’s your day going?

**M’gann:** Can’t complain. How are you? How’s Butch?

**Maggie:** He’s good!

**Maggie:** Actually…he’s the reason I’m on desk duty.

**M’gann:** And how did he manage that?

**Maggie:** Funny story… I think he met his dog soulmate.

**M’gann:** The people on your planet and their pets…

**Maggie:** No! I swear I’m not that dog mom!

**M’gann:** Yet.

**Maggie:** I’m serious. You know how he’s having trouble making dog friends? Well we ran into this big ass german shepherd on our walk, and it was like love at first sniff. He refused to leave and pulled me after them for BLOCKS. And now every single day he drags me down the same route trying to sniff for her.

**M’gann:** And this got you on desk duty because…? Were you written up for stalking someone and their dog?

**Maggie:** Very funny. No, I’m getting written up because I’m late every morning because this damn dog drags me so much further than we need to go and plops his stupidly adorable butt down and won’t budge.

**M’gann:** Can’t you force him to turn? Or carry him?

**Maggie:** I’m trying to encourage positive associations with other dogs.

**M’gann:** Oh my

**Maggie:** Shut up.

**Maggie:** Plus he’s getting pretty big to carry these days

**M’gann:** Take a new route?

**Maggie:** But what if Gertrude comes back?

**M’gann:** Who?

Maggie: The german shepherd

**M’gann:** Named Gertrude?

**Maggie:** Yeah, whatever. It’s weird but idk. At least she was nice to my dog. And I want my dog to have nice friends! He deserves nice things

**M’gann:** If you’re so desperate, why don’t you post online to find the dog?

**Maggie:** That sounds kind of extra…

**M’gann:** I think you passed that line a long time ago.

**Maggie:** Where would I even post? There’s no dog facebook

**M’gamn:** What about that missed connections page?

**Maggie:** Oh! Did you finally listen to that podcast I recommended?

**M’gann:** I did. You’re right, it did make morning set up go by faster.

**Maggie:** But I think those Craigslist things are for people.

**Maggie:** And what if the owner thinks I’m just trying to hit on her through my dog?

**Maggie:** If she even sees it, which is like…totally never going to happen.

**M’gann:** So then it probably doesn’t matter if she thinks you’re flirting if she won’t see it.

**Maggie:** But what if she does?

**M’gann:** Would she have any reason to think you were hitting on her?

**Maggie:** I mean…she was gorgeous.

**M’gann:** Ah yes, your type.

**Maggie:** Shut up.

**M’gann:** Well it’s your decision whether or not to find your animal’s star-crossed best friend, Maggie. Now I have a bar to open.

**Maggie:** Fine, fine. Have a good night!

**M’gann:** You too.

By the time another half hour of silence had elapsed, Maggie decided it wouldn’t _hurt_ to make a Craigslist post… Writing one didn’t mean she had to post it. And even if she posted it, she could delete it at any point. And really, the odds of the other dog’s owner seeing it were slim to none.

\---

**Missed Connections (National City Metropolitan Area)**

**Subject: Gertrude the Dog in West National City**

My dog Butch met your dog Gertrude on a walk on the west side in National City on Monday morning. I asked you if we could do this 3-second meet and greet kind of thing, and you were cool with it. My dog absolutely adored your dog, and I know this probably sounds weird, but he doesn’t have a lot of confidence with other dogs (he’s from a shelter and still getting used to his new life), so it was amazing to see how much he liked Gertrude. I would love to try to arrange a dog play date or go for a walk together some day. Hopefully you see this!

\---

It was the third buzz of Alex’s phone in a row that finally pulled her attention away from the microscope in front of her.

**Kara:** OH MY GOD ALEX!

**Kara:** I THINK I FOUND YOUR DOG’S SOULMATE!!!!

**Kara:** DID YOU MEET A DOG NAMED BUTCH ON A WALK ON MONDAY???? IS THAT THE DOG OF THE CUTE LADY YOU TOLD ME ABOUT???

**Alex:** Kara…it’s 10am. Why are there that many capital letters?

**Kara:** Because fate is calling, Alex!!!

**Alex:** Oh dear god, step out of the sun for half an hour, then call me.

**Kara:** Okay, no, this is really important.

**Kara:** You know how I like those missed connection posts on Craigslist?

**Alex:** Yes…weirdo.

**Kara:** It’s not weird. There was a whole podcast about the beauty of them.

**Alex:** There are podcasts about weird porn too. It doesn’t make it normal.

**Kara:** Whatever. Not the point. The point is that in the National City missed connections, there is someone looking for a dog named Gertrude. How many dogs named Gertrude could there possibly be?

**Alex:** There could be dozens.

**Kara:** Ummm sure.

**Kara:** But this person says they did some dog training thing with a 3 second meeting. Didn’t you say the cute lady was training her puppy?

**Alex:** Yes, but it’s a common way of training dogs, so she’s certainly not the only one using that method. It’s probably a coincidence.

**Kara:** Come on, Alex. They can’t all be coincidences. 1) West National City, which is where I know you were on Monday because I happened to see you while I was stopping that car accident down by the Bay. 2) Dog training, which might be common but you know most people don’t actually listen to all those lessons. 3) Looking for a dog named Gertrude, and I get that you think it’s a normal name, but it’s really not very common, I promise.

**Alex:** Fine, maybe it’s her. So what?

**Kara:** She’s looking for you!

**Kara:** Or, okay, fine, for Gertrude, but this could be like…like a rom-com level meet-cute story!

**Alex:** Or it could be someone trying to murder me who knows a few details about my life.

**Kara:** Why must you go dark?

**Alex:** Better to expect the worst than be surprised by it

**Kara:** Just email her.

**Alex:** Absolutely not.

**Kara:** C’mon…

**Alex:** Not a chance in hell.

**Kara:** Her dog needs friends! Gertrude is her chance at living her best life after the shelter!

**Kara:** Alex. You know how hard it can be for kids after adoption.

**Alex:** It’s a dog, Kara.

**Kara:** And? All the more reason to be compassionate.

**Alex:** Look, it could be a scam very easily.

**Kara:** How about I do the groundwork for you? Make sure it’s legit.

**Kara:** Alex?

**Kara:** If I don’t hear back in 5 minutes I’m going for it.

**Kara:** I’m taking your silence as an okay

**Alex:** No! J’onn had updates for me. Do not send that email, Kara Danvers!

**Kara:** …oops?

\---

Maggie glared at her phone as it dinged for the fifth time in an hour. She didn’t realize exactly how many bots and phishing scam artists would suddenly be very invested in emailing her, and quite frankly, she was sick and tired of it. She wanted a friend for her dog not “Bu$ty Blondes Available NOW!” or “Dr-approved Rxx prescription pharmaceuticals.”

As she suspected, another email forwarded through Craigslist.

_Good morning!_

Hmm, at least this bot was more humanoid.

_I saw your post about looking for a dog named Gertrude, and I’m 99% sure I know this Gertrude!_

Maggie narrowed her eyes. It was only the second response that mentioned her post at all. Could it be real? Or was it another pervert who would end by asking for nudes “if female”?

_Gertrude’s owner isn’t totally sure about this whole thing, but if she had a way of knowing you were real and not some homicidal criminal mastermind, she’d probably be okay with arranging a puppy play date!_

Maggie snorted, coughing as a bit of the stale precinct coffee she’d been sipping burned at the back of her nose.

_So could you maybe describe Gertrude? Or send a picture of your dog so that we can see if Gertrude recognizes her? (In case humor doesn’t translate over email, don’t worry, I’m just kidding. I’ll be showing the picture to Gertrude’s owner.) Or both? I really hope it works out!_

_Best,  
Kara_

Maggie didn’t want to get her hopes up preemptively, but she couldn’t help but hope that maybe she’d found a friend for Butch. Of course, then her captain called her in for a case, and it wasn’t until late that evening that she was able to sit down and draft a response.

_Dear Kara,_

_Thank you for your email. I totally understand your friend’s concern about strangers on the internet. I’ve attached a photo of Butch for your friend to look at. As far as Gertrude, she was a German shepherd and very, very well-behaved. She was able to keep up with her owner’s fast running pace too. Hopefully it ends up being the same Gertrude! (I’ll be honest, I didn’t even think to question the idea of finding multiple Gertrude’s in the city.)_

_Best,  
Maggie_

It took Maggie a while to scroll through the hundreds of photos of Butch that now filled her camera roll, giving her a “memory full” notification every time she opened the app. Eventually she picked what she thought was one of his best shots. He looked handsome and well-groomed, but his tail was a blur from wagging, which she thought added a nice, friendly touch. Once she’d attached the file, she hit send and sank back into her sofa, hoping that maybe by the next evening she’d have found her dog’s missing friend.

\---

Alex was sprawled out across the couch, one arm dangling down to pet Gertrude, her other holding her phone up to her face as she scrolled through all the news alerts she’d missed during a long day at work. Truth be told, she’d wanted nothing more than to come home and pass out, but she felt guilty not spending at least some quality time with Gertrude before bed, even if she’d gotten Kara to give her dinner and take her out on a long walk while she was finishing up post-case paperwork at the DEO.

Just as Alex had started to let sleep overtake her—making it to the bed, be damned—a loud clatter sounded from her balcony. She jumped up with a start, flinging herself over the back of the couch and whistling for Gertrude to come crouch with her. Before she made a break for her gun, she peered out from behind the couch, finding a rather sheepish looking Kara, still in Supergirl attire, with her cape snared around Alex’s newest patio furniture—a purchase she’d finally made after putting off replacing the last ones broken by a slightly intoxicated Kara who had wanted to prove that “I can _so_ still fly, Alex.”

“Get in here,” Alex hissed, watching as Kara looked up at her with wide eyes, as if she was surprised that she’d been caught.

“I thought, uh, I thought you were asleep,” Kara mumbled, righting one last chair before stepping in off the balcony and closing the door behind her.

Seeing that there was no longer any threat, Gertrude let out a loud yawn and plopped back down into her dog bed after a few careful circles.

“Well I’m certainly not asleep anymore.”

“Right…” After a moment, Kara’s expression brightened exponentially. “Alex!”

“Yeah?”

“That Craigslist lady? She’s your soulmate!”

“Kar—”

“Wait. Before you say anything, just look at the photo. Is this the dog you met?” Kara thrust her phone out to Alex, a picture of a wiggly, brindle pup looking up at Alex with big eyes that had been captured remarkably well on film.

“Yeah, I guess it is.”

“Rao! Alex, do you know what the odds are? This is amazing!”

“I guess it’s nice that her dog can have a playdate.”

“Alex!” Kara let out an exasperated sigh, plopping down on the couch. “ _You_ can ask Maggie out on a date now.”

“Who?”

“Maggie! The lady you called beautiful and couldn’t stop talking about even though you apparently only met her for three seconds.”

“Kara, that would be incredibly creepy.”

“I’m not saying you should open with it, but you can’t write it off as a possibility.”

“I don’t even know if she’s gay, Kar.”

“All the more reason to get this dog playdate to happen soon. Then you can find out!”

“Ah yes, because I have such a well-tuned gaydar.”

“It was one time, okay? Everyone asks out a straight girl once.”

“I misread a lot of people.”

“You could tell that Vasquez was gay.”

“The whole goddam world can tell that Vasquez is gay.”

Kara hid her laugh behind her hand. “Just give it a try, okay? If nothing else, you’re doing something really nice for Butch.”

“What?”

“Oh, Maggie’s dog. His name is Butch.”

“Oh.”

“So yeah, I told her you two would meet by the pond in the big park tomorrow at 10am since you both have the day off.”

“I don’t have the day off.”

“I told J’onn it was important. You do now.”

“Kara!”

“Don’t fight fate, Alex!” Kara yelled as she made a break for the window. “And wear those new jeans of yours—you look great in them!”

Alex sighed as she watched Kara fly away. “Well, Gertrude, at least you’ll have fun tomorrow.”

Gertrude cocked her head to the side, one of her ears flopping over. When it became clear she wasn’t about to be asked to do anything at that moment, she let out a long, loud yawn and nuzzled back into her paws.

\---

Maggie spent all morning trying out different outfits for both her and Butch. She paired her black jeans and denim shirt with his blue collar, then her very seasonally appropriate red flannel with blue jeans with his red harness. Ultimately she went with his navy harness that was easy to wash in case he managed to roll in something disgusting…again. Before she had time to second guess staying in her jeans and flannel, her phone chirped with the “time to leave” alarm that she’d set, knowing in advance that something like this might happen. She stuffed a cheese stick and a whole bag of jerky strips into the pockets of her leather jacket that were filled with more dog biscuit crumbs than she’d ever imagined possible, clipped on Butch’s longer leash, and headed out to the car.

They got to the park ten whole minutes early, which Maggie had been counting on. She let Butch sniff around for a while, enjoying the scents and walking off the nervous energy from the unexpected car ride.

“Alright, Butch, how about you go potty outside now, huh? Get it out of the way so you’re comfortable on your playdate.”

He sniffed around a few bushes, finally peeing and earning exuberant praise from Maggie, who had long ago stopped being embarrassed by certain parts of dog ownership. He continued sniffing at the area, stopping every few feet before moving on.

“Come on, buddy, go poop. You had a big breakfast. You can do it! Go poop, Butch, go poop! You want to be ready for your playdate. C’mon. Go potty outside.”

A bark of laughter that turned into a poor attempt at fake coughing sounded from behind Maggie, and she spun around to find the runner from the other day who, holy fuck, looked even better in darkwash jeans and a soft-looking maroon sweater than she had in all that skintight black spandex. Not that Maggie would complain about that look either…

“Nice pep talk you got there,” the woman called out.

Before Maggie could say something clever or at least get out words, Butch caught sight of Gertrude, and suddenly the whole world seemed to narrow to Butch, Gertrude, and the strip of grass in between them that had to be done away with. And then he was tearing across the park, tripping over his paws in a fit of puppy clumsiness as he just about rolled into Gertrude, who sank into a perfect sit, head tilted to one side.

“Er, this is Butch.”

“And I think he already knows Gertrude. I’m Alex, by the way.”

“Maggie.” She gave a little halfhearted wave, laughing as Butch made quite the spectacle of himself, sinking down into a play bow then getting back up and batting at the air in front of Gertrude with his paws.

“This the little guy who has trouble making friends?” Alex asked with a laugh as Butch shimmied onto his back, tail wagging, making little yippy barks at Gertrude, who looked up at Alex for guidance.

“Uh, yeah.” Maggie rubbed at the back of her neck. “This is…an exception. A really adorable exception.”

“Should I let Gertrude play back, or will that scare him?”

“Is she, uh, gentle? I mean, the trainer says its good for him to get used to playing, but I just want him to have positive experiences.” Maggie hated how much she sounded like an overprotective new mother.

Alex nodded, though, and she didn’t seem like she was judging Maggie at all. Instead, she crouched down to Gertrude’s level and gave her a little scratch behind the ears as she talked to her. “Okay, Gertrude, play gentle, okay? Be good.”

Maggie swore it looked like Gertrude nodded, and she resolved to ask Alex how the hell she had trained the dog that well. But then Gertrude was sinking down into a play bow herself and nosing at Butch’s side, and Butch’s tail went from 100mph to 500 as he contorted himself to snuffle at Gertrude’s ear.

After a few minutes of sniffing one another, they made it back to standing, and Maggie watched in horror as Butch thwacked his rear end against Gertrude’s chest before darting away, then running right back to do it again.

“I’m really sorry,” Maggie muttered, moving to reel Butch back in.

“You’re all good,” Alex insisted. “It’s actually a really polite way for puppies to invite another dog to play.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, hip-checking is like a…high five or something for humans.”

“Oh.”

“I freaked out at first too, don’t worry,” Alex stage-whispered, winking at Maggie and making her heart pound in her chest.

“How, uh, how did you learn so much about dogs and training?”

“First time dog owner with a perfectionist streak,” Alex admitted with a loud laugh.

Maggie nodded slowly, watching as the two dogs sniffed and played together nicely, every so often calling Butch back to her side to reward him with a little bite of food before he scampered back to Gertrude.

Alex’s voice finally drew her gaze up and away from the dogs. “Would you want to walk around? It’s actually a really nice park.”

“Oh, sure. Yeah, that sounds good.”

Alex whistled loudly, and Gertrude came running back to her, falling into a perfect heel position. Butch, too, came running back to them, only he didn’t fall in line with Maggie. No, he chased right after Gertrude, rearing up on his hind legs and trying to bite playfully at her ears.

“Butch, c’mon, boy! Over here,” Maggie called, giving a little tug on his leash that he completely ignored. “We’re walking, buddy! Let’s go!” Still nothing. She pulled out the cheese stick and tore off a little hunk of low-fat mozzarella. With a click of her tongue, she called Butch’s name and held out the cheese, trying to lure him into heel to no avail.

“Well,” Maggie finally sighed as Butch threw himself to the ground in front of Gertrude, “this is only somewhat humiliating.”

Alex chuckled. “Gertrude would be happy enough playing too.”

“Yeah, maybe. But she’s being good and listening.”

“Want to know a secret?”

“If it’ll make Butch listen to a word I say when your dog’s around, please.”

“Oh I can’t work miracles,” Alex teased. “I was just gonna say that Gertrude might have been even worse when I got her.”

“No way.”

“Yep.”

“How?”

“Well…she got kicked out of the police puppy program for refusing to obey literally any commands.”

“Aww, if you’d made it, we could’ve worked together,” Maggie told Gertrude, scratching the fur under her chin and getting a lick of her tongue across her hand.

“You’re a cop?”

“Detective with the NCPD. And you…law enforcement too? I know they don’t normally give those pups to just anyone, even if they flunk out of the academy.”

“Yeah. FBI.”

Maggie let out a little hum of understanding. “So we’re rivals.”

“Wha—I—no—” Alex spluttered, making Maggie laugh.

“No, it’s good. Really helps me make the case for Butch as the canine Romeo with his star-crossed soulmate.”

“Ah yes, would be such a shame if the dogs didn’t have a good backstory.”

Eventually, Maggie got Butch moving forward, even if every few yards he dove back into Gertrude’s side to see if she would play, which she did as soon as Alex nudged her forward with a quiet, “Okay.”

As they walked, they talked about dogs and training, which turned into a conversation about how and why they wanted dogs, which quickly turned more personal and honest than either woman was used to being, especially with someone who was still sort of a stranger. Maggie found herself talking about chosen family and wanting to make a dog who’d been abandoned by his last family feel loved and welcome, and Alex opened up about how she slept better with Gertrude at her side, knowing that she looked somewhat intimidating and could be if she needed to be, even though most of the time she’d rather roll on her back for belly rubs. Maggie nodded in agreement; she could understand the sentiment.

By the time they’d made a full loop around the large pond, Maggie had to admit that Alex didn’t quite feel like a stranger anymore. There was something about her that felt…familiar. Like she got Maggie more than most people did. Plus, she was good with Butch, and she had a sharp, sarcastic sense of humor that had Maggie snorting to her embarrassment on more than one occasion. So when Alex asked about another loop, Maggie agreed without hesitation. After all, Butch didn’t seem ready to leave, and, if Maggie were being honest, she wasn’t quite ready for her time with Alex to be over just yet either.

\---

By the time they’d made it through their second loop, Alex had made up her mind: she was going to ask Maggie on a date. At the end of the walk. No need to make things weird beforehand. Just in case. Always best to plan for all contingencies.

But she was definitely going to ask. The knowledge made her heart thud heavily in her chest. The anticipation was always the worst part of these things. Still, she refused to back out. Because Maggie…god, she was gorgeous. But she was also funny and kind and so caring. And the way she talked about giving Butch a forever home made Alex’s bones feel like they’d melted into some sort of goo that she might study in her lab, and the hints in the story that made it sound like Maggie maybe hadn’t gotten that kind of home made Alex want to wrap her jello-y arms around her and never let her go. But that was probably getting ahead of herself. Just coffee. That was all she was asking for. Not anything creepy and weird like a lifetime of playing with dogs and being chosen family and holding each other close at night. Nope. Not that. There were definitely no weirdly domestic images floating through Alex’s imagination at all.

“Alex?”

Alex could feel her cheeks warming slightly, and she wondered how many times Maggie had said her name. “Sorry, what?”

“Do you want to let the dogs play a little longer before we head out?”

“Yes!” Alex’s voice cracked slightly, but she shook away the embarrassment. She needed time to ask Maggie out before she left and Alex lost her courage. Clearing her throat, Alex gestured down to some benches closer to the pond that would take them off of the main path and out of the way of runners and other dogs who came by.

Once they were seated and the dogs off and romping around the grass together, Alex turned her attention to Maggie. “I, uh, I’m really glad you posted on that missed connections page.”

Maggie chuckled softly, rubbing at the back of her neck. “Yeah…I’ll be honest, I kind of worried that if you saw it, which I really didn’t think you would, that you might think it was creepy. Or that I was just trying to hit on you through my dog.”

“Oh.” Alex moved back several inches. “Oh, right. Yeah, um, cause that would be…creepy. And totally not something that you would do.”

“Um, sure.”

“Right, yeah, totally.”

Maggie tilted her head to the side slightly, and Alex felt like everything she’d ever thought or felt about this woman was suddenly written on her face in sharpie.

“Not that you aren’t very pretty. But it was Craigslist, and I wouldn’t want you thinking I was some…I don’t know.”

“Yeah, no, whatever,” Alex mumbled. “Plus, I mean, you know, that would have meant I’d have to assume you were, like, into me. And that’s just presumptuous. Also, right, what are the odds you’re even gay, and—”

“Oh, I am gay, but—”

“Okay, yeah, me too.”

Maggie paused, and Alex felt like maybe she should make a break for it in the silence. But then Maggie was talking again, and Alex didn’t want to be rude. “But, you know, once we were in person and knew each other’s names and stuff, then it wouldn’t be creepy.”

“Yeah?”

“Totally. I mean, then it could be pretty flattering, even.”

Alex couldn’t tell if she was misreading absolutely everything, but she decided to go for it anyway. “I, um, I’m sorry if this is still weird, but I—I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you. And your dog. But especially you. And I was wondering if you might want to grab a cup—”

Before Alex could finish, a sharp tug on the leash dragged Maggie up and off the bench. “Shit, no, Butch! No!”

But it was too late, and both women could only look on as Butch splashed into the shallows of the pond, looking absolutely ecstatic.

Figuring she could at least help get him out of the water, Alex whistled, watching as Butch emerged, sprinting in her direction, water droplets flying off him, limbs flailing forward, tongue hanging out, tail wagging rapidly. And then he was jumping up to greet her, plopping two wet, muddy paws on her lap and looking up at her expectantly as he waited for the treat he knew normally greeted him for a well-executed recall.

Biting back a laugh, Alex instructed Butch to sit, which he did, leaving two big paw prints in his wake.

“I am so, so sorry!” Maggie cringed at the sight of the mud all over what looked like a rather nice pair of jeans. “I can wash them for you or get them cleaned or—”

“You’re fine really. You can’t even imagine the stuff I end up covered in at work.”

Maggie narrowed her eyes. “What the hell do you do for the FBI?”

Alex forced a laugh. “You don’t want to know. But mud is just…the least of my concerns.”

“Maybe I could make up for it with, say, a coffee date?”

“Yeah?”

Butch took that moment to shake himself dry, showering Gertrude, Alex, and Maggie in a spray of muddy pond water.

“Or, um, maybe a laundromat date…”

“I think if it’s with you, I’d say yes to just about any kind of date.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on Tumblr (every so often) @sapphicscholarwrites or on Twitter @sapphicscholar


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